Sourcebooks Announces New Education Division

(PRESS RELEASE) Ten years ago Sourcebooks formed a partnership with Edward Fiske that would go on to create numerous top-selling books, including the bestselling college guide, the Fiske Guide to Colleges. With the addition of the #1 going to college book and New York Times bestseller The Naked Roommate, and a line of test-prep products with leading expert Dr. Gary Gruber, Sourcebooks has well-established itself as a leading trade college-bound book publisher.

For Sourcebooks, the mission has always been to help students find the right college, support the application and admissions process, including test prep, and successfully transition students into college.

Sourcebooks is taking that commitment a step further in creating an education division responsible for managing the company’s biggest existing initiatives, including the leading college-bound publishing program, a Naked Roommate first year experience program, and MyMaxScore.com, an online SAT/ACT test prep solution. Going forward, this group will serve as a platform to launch a host of new innovations that have been in development.

“What we’re looking to create together are revolutionary improvements that make a significant difference in the lives of our users: students, parents, and educators,” says Dominique Raccah, CEO and publisher of Sourcebooks. “This involves the very best solutions-oriented content from the best experts, a strong emphasis on convenience and user-control, and increasing motivation and engagement.”

Initial staffing for the education division includes six new positions in sales, marketing, and information systems, which add to an existing infrastructure in editorial and publicity to create a strong team to launch an endeavor like this. This team is supported by a highly-active group of educator advisors that meet regularly in order to help Sourcebooks create the most useful and engaging products in the space.

Sourcebooks is excited to announce the following new hires:

Deb Kimminau is the Technical Architect, responsible for leading the development and implementation of our new digital initiatives, which includes MyMaxScore. Deb joins us with backgrounds in education, child development, and software development. For the past 5 years, she has been teaching high school algebra in Naperville/Aurora District 204. She also was a founding board member of the Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58.

Phil Hartman is the Education Sales Manager and will be managing new and existing relationships with state education departments, school districts, high school educators, guidance counselors, as well as colleges and universities. Formerly of Herff Jones, School Specialty, Inc, and, most recently, Warehouse Direct Education Products & Services, Phil brings a solid reputation for consultative selling in the education market.

Kavita Khanna is a Programmer Analyst and is responsible for updating and implementing new technical requirements for the MyMaxScore adaptive learning software. Kavita has a strong background in programming; she was previously the Web Developer for Aceyus Inc, a company that provides software solutions for call centers.